Bumping-post.



No. 683,502. P Patented Dot. I, 190|. P. SCANLIN.

BUMPING POST.

\Apphcatwn led Mar 11 1901 1 (No Model.)

T LFE UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PATRICK SCANLIN, OF BOONE, IOW'A.

BUMPING-POST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 683,502, dated October1, 1901.

Application filed March l1, 1901. Serial No. 50,602. (No model.)

T @ZZ whom, t ntcty concern,.-

Beit known that I, PATRICK SCANLIN, a citi- Zen of the United States,residing at Boone, in the county of Boone and State of Iowa, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Bumpiug-Posts,of which the following is a specilication.

The object of my invention is to provide a bumping-post of simple,durable, and inexpensive construction in which a maximum of strength isobtained through the use of a minimum amount of material.

A further object is to provide a device of this class in which thebraces for the bumping-post are in the rear of the post and connectedwith the track-rails, so that all of the strain upon a post will beborne by the trackrails upon which the car or cars to be stopped by thebumper are resting.

A further object is to provide a device of this class in which thetrack-rails are not bent or their construction changed in any mannerwhatever for adapting them for use iu connection with my improvedbumping-post. Hence my improvement may be applied as an attachment to atrack at any point throughout its length and may be removed withoutinjuring or in any Way aifecting the track-rail.

My invention consists in certain details in the construction,arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device wherebythe objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully setforth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the deviceapplied to a track. Fig. 2 shows a top or plan view of the same, andFig. 3 shows an end elevation of saine.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used thereference-numeral to indicate the parallel track-rails of ordinary form,secured to the ties 11. These track-rails are connected by means of thetie-rods 12 of ordinary construction. At a point midway between thetrack-rails and between the two ties I have placed an upright post 13 toproject some distance above the track and having its lower end anchoredin any suitable manner in the ground. On the front and rear faces of theupper end portion of the posts I have placed the metal posts 14. Theupright post is braced by means of two rail-sections shaped as follows:Each of said rail-sections is provided with a part 15 to lie parallelwith the track-rail. This part is preferably connected with thetrack-rail by means of bolts 16, passed through the track-rail and saidpart 15, and a filler-block 17 is placed between these adjacent portionsof the rails. A part 18 of the brace-rails extends inwardly and upwardlyto the rea-r plate 14, and then a part 19 extends straight upwardly. Theparts 19 of the two braces are brought together and extend in parallelplanes in a vertical direction. A filler-block 2O is placed between themand the bolts 21, firmly connecting their ends together. A metal strap22 has its ends secured by bolts 23 to the outer surfaces of thetrackrails some distance in advance of the post 13, and its centralportion passes in the rear of the post 13 and engages the rear surfacesof the parts 19 of the braces. I have provided means whereby the saidmetal strap, together with the upwardly-projecting portions of thebracerails, is firmly and immovably secured to the post, as follows: AU-bolt 24 has its central portion passed over the rear end of the strap22 and its ends passed through the block 20 and through the plates 14and post 13. The nuts 25 on the forward ends of the U-bolt may beadjusted to iirmly clamp all of said parts in position.

I have provided a yielding buffer to project from the front surface ofthe post, which buffer is constructed as follows: The body portion 26 ispassed through the post and through the strap 22, and a nut 27 isprovided on its rear end. An enlarged head or buer plate 28 is iiXed onthe front end thereof, and a spring 29 is interposed between the saidhead 2S and the plate 14. This buffer is located at such distance fromthe track as to engage the buffer of an ordinary railway-car. Obviouslyits position may be changed to correspond with cars having buffers atvarious distances from the track, or two or more buffers at differentheights maybe used. At the rear end of the brace-rails I have provided abar 30, the ends of which are clamped to the track-rails in suchposition that the forward edge of the bar 30 will engage the rear endsICO of the brace-rails to thereby prevent-longitudinal movement of thebrace-rails relative to the track-rails.

In practical use it is obvious that my improved bumping-post may beattached to any ordinary railway-traclr, either at the end of the trackor at any point throughout the length thereof, without in any wayaltering the track-rails. Assuming the device to be applied to arailway-track, it is obvious that the impact from a car striking thepost will be resisted by the brace-rails, and these rails are firmlysecured at their rear ends to the same track-rails upon which the car orcars are standing, so that substantially all the force of a shock to thebumping-post will be directly applied to the track-rails. The strap 22is provided for the purpose of resisting such strains upon thebrace-rails as would tend to bend the brace-rails upwardly, and as thestrain in this direction would not be great the said strap need not beof great strength, and hence not cumbersome or heavy. It is obvious,further, that by using the brace-rails in the manner shown the functionof the upright post is only to support the bumper and to connect thevarious parts with each other. vIence it is not necessary thata large orheavy post be utilized. It is to be noted, further, in this connectionthat all of the parts of the bumping-post are made of materials that canreadily, quickly, and easily be obtained by the ordinary railwayrepairman and that none of said parts need be formed or made ouspecially-designed machinery.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is-

1. An improved railway bumping-post, comprising in combination, anupright post to be arranged between the track-rails, two braces havingtheir forward end portions in engagement with the post and their rearend portions inclined downwardly and outwardly and in engagement withthe track-rails, means for clamping said rear ends of the braces to thetrack-rails and a metal strap secured to the track-rails in front of thepost and passed around the rear of the post and overlapping the frontend portions of said braces, for the purposes stated.

2. An improved railway bumping post, comprising in combination, twotrack-rails, an upright between the rails, two braces having their rearends clamped to the track-rails, their central portions extendedinwardly, upwardly, and forwardly, and their forward ends extendedparallel with each other, a metal strap having its ends secured to thetrack-rails in front of the post and its central portion passed in therear of and in engagement with the forward end of the said braces, meansfor clamping said strap and braces to the post, and a yieiding barmounted on the forward face of the post, all arranged and combinedsubstantially in the manner set forth, and for the purposes stated.

3. An improved railway bumping post, comprising in combination, twotrack-rails, an upright between the rails, two braces having their rearends clamped to the track-rails, their central portions extendedinwardly,up` wardly, and forwardly, and their forward Vends extendedparallel with each other, a

metal strap having its ends secured to the track-rails in front of thepost and its central portion passed in the rear of and in engagementwith the forward end of the said braces, means for clamping said strapand braces to the post, a yielding bar mounted on the forward face ofthe post, and a bar havingits ends clamped to the track-rails and havingthe rear ends of said brace-rails'iu engagement therewith, to preventtheir rearward movement relative to the track-rails` all arranged andcombined substantially in the manner set forth, and for the purposesstated.

PATRICK SCANLIN. Y

